Hi Guys,I'm new to this forum so forgive me if this question has been asked before.I have recently just finished a beginners Mandarin Chinese book. (Pinyin)I would like to move to the next level and have a few questions about what to do next.The book that I was learning from taught Mandarin Chinese in Pinyin; does this mean that I do not have to learn the characters?Do people in China read papers, magazines etc in Pinyin or is this just to get you started.Is it a case of if I wanted 'just' to speak Mandarin Pinyin would be fine, but if I wanted to read and understand Mandarin I would need to learn the characters?Any help appreciated.Kind regardsStephen